The Government of the Republic of Syria (hereinafter referred to as the "Government "), represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs duly authorized by the President of the Republic in the Council of Ministers, and

the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (hereinafter referred to as the "Organization ") represented by its Director-General,

acting within the powers conferred upon him by Article VII of the Constitution and Rule XXIX of the Rules of Procedure of the Organization,

Considering

1) Article 5 of Decree Law 196 of 6 April 1952 approving the Technical Assistance Agreement between the Government and the Organization,

2) the recommendation of the Third FAO Regional Meeting on Food and Agriculture Programs and Outlook in the Near East, held at Cairo in September 1953, advocating the establishment of a Forest Research Centre in Syria, for the benefit of the whole Near East region,

3) that the Seventh Session of the Conference of the Organization held in November and December 1953 endorsed the said recommendation,

4) that the Government has offered to establish such a center in its territory,

5) the relevant recommendations adopted by the Near East Forestry Commission at its First Session held at Teheran in September 1955, and

Being desirous of concluding an agreement with a view to implementing the abovementioned recommendations,

Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE I

Establishment of the Center

The Government undertakes to establish at Damascus, Syria, with the co-operation of the Member Governments of the Near East Forestry Commission, a regional documentation and co-ordination center for forest research (hereinafter refereed to as the " Center'').

The Center shall be placed under the auspices of the Organization and shall be governed by the following Articles.

ARTICLE II

Aims and functions

The purpose of the Center shall be to promote the implementation of the Organization's forest research programs in the Near East its functions being:

(a) to appraise, in accordance with directives provided by the permanent Research Committee of the Near East Forestry Commission the research work under way and the research facilities available in the Near East. and to prepare an over-all plan for their co-ordination at the regional level:

(b) to establish a documentation service equipped with an adequate library and staff, to collect. analyse abstract and disseminante for the benefit of the Member Governments of the region, publications and documents on the work of the national research stations under way or planned:

(c) to undertake, in co-operation with the permanent Research Committee, a periodical review of the work of the national research stations with a view to stimulating co-ordination, preventing overlapping and promoting effective cooperation among research workers of the region;

(d) in order to contribute effectively to the sound development and utilization of the resources of the Near East, to carry out research of regional character, requiring highly qualified staff and special equipment.

ARTICLE III

Organs

The Organs of the Center shall be:

the Governing Body
the Director

ARTICLE IV

The Governing Body

The Governing Body shall consist of: members designated individually by each of the Member Governments of the Near East Forestry Commission at the rate of one member per Member Government. Such member shall be either the representative designated by the interested Member Government to sit on the permanent Research Committee, or the representative of such Member Government on one of the subcommittees of the said Research Committee;

the Director-General of the Organization or his representative.

The members of the Governing Body shall exercise their functions in a personal capacity and not as members of the permanent Research Committee.

The Governing Body shall elect its own Chairman and the Director of the Centre shall be its Secretary.

The Governing Body shall approve annually the program of work and budget of the Centre and generally supervise its activities. It may formulate suggestions relating to the programs of work of the national research stations and shall also perform such other functions as may be assigned to it under other provisions of this Agreement.

The Governing Body shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

ARTICLE V

Administration

The administration of the Center shall be placed under the authority of a Director appointed by the Governing Body on the basis of a proposal made by the Director-General of the Organization in agreement with the Government. Under the general supervision of the Governing Body, the Director shall have full power to administer and to supervise directly the activities of the Center, on behalf of which he shall act in all its transactions. He shall be the legal representative of the Center and shall be responsible for its organization and administration. Moreover, he shall engage the technical and administrative staff assigned to the activities of the Center.

The conditions of appointment of the Director shall be fixed by the Governing Body.

ARTICLE VI

Staff

The staff of the Center shall be responsible to the Director of the Center. The responsibility of the staff in exercising their functions and in orienting their work, shall be definitely international in character.

Experts assigned to temporary research missions shall not be considered as belonging to the permanent staff of the Center, unless otherwise decided by the Governing Body.

ARTICLE VII

Premises, Equipment, Budget and Finance

1. The Government shall make available to the Center without charge the land, buildings, premises and furniture required for its operation and listed in the annex to this Agreement. It shall assume responsibility for the maintenance and protection of the said land, buildings and premises, as well as the lighting and heating of the buildings and premises.

2. The Center shall be financed out of annual contributions paid by the governments of the region that have expressed their intention to participate in its work.

3. The Governing Body should be empowered to accept contributions, gifts' legacies and grants from governments, institutions or private persons, provided that these contributions, gifts, legacies and grants are for purposes in keeping with the functions and aims of the Center.

4. To facilitate the establishment of the Center and its initial operation, the Organization, on its part, shall undertake to seek authority from the Technical Assistance Board, to include in its technical assistance programs contributions to the budget of the Center covering in particular the costs of part of the technical staff and the conduct of research.

5. The Director shall draw up and present annually to the Governing Body for its approval all proposals relating to the Center's program of work and expenses, within the limits of the resources available to the Centre that fiscal year. Supplementary proposals may be submitted in case additional resources become available.

6. The Director of the Center shall have the authority to make regular administrative disbursements, within the limits of the approved budget. His accounts shall be open to inspection by the Governing Body.

7. Arrangements shall be made by the Governing Body for an independent audit of the Center's accounts.

ARTICLE VIII

Legal Status

1. The Center shall be recognized as an international foundation with a juridical personality.

2. Save for the obligations expressly envisaged in this Agreement. neither the Organization nor the Government shall assume any civil, financial or other representatives in respect of the working or management of the Center.

3. The Government shall undertake to apply, mutatis mutandis, to the Center, to its premises, property, funds and assets, to the members of the Governing Body and to the non-Syrian staff of the Center the provisions of Sections 4 to 20 inclusive and of Sections 22, 23 and 25 on the Convention on the Privileges and immunities of the Specialized Agencies. The Director of the Centre shall enjoy the privileges and immunities and shall exercise the functions provided for respectively in Section 21 and Section 25, paragraph 2 (II), of the Convention.

4. Applications for visas from members of the staff of the Center, when accompanied by a certificate issued by the Director of the Center that they are travelling on the business of the Center, shall be dealt with as speedily as possible and the visas shall be granted without charge. Similar facilities shall be accorded to experts and other persons who have a certificate that they are travelling on the business of the Center.

ARTICLE IX

By-Laws

All the provisions necessary for the work and operation of the Center shall be laid down by the Governing Body in Rules of Procedure and Financial Regulations which shall comprise, in particular, provisions relating to the staff and the financial management of the Center.

ARTICLE X

Annual Report

The Director shall each year submit to the Governing Body, to the Government and to the Director-General of the Organization, a technical administrative and financial report, rendering account of the work accomplished by the Center. Such report shall he transmitted by the Director-General of the Organization to all the Member Governments of the Near East Forestry Commission, and to the Conference of the Organization.

ARTICLE XI

Additional agreements

Any subsequent decision of the Organization that may affect the implementation of this Agreement or any proposal of the Government to amend the terms of the Agreement, shall be the subject of negotiation between the Organization and the Government with a view to concluding an additional agreement.

ARTICLE XII

Duration and Denunciation

This Agreement shall remain in force for an indefinite period but may be denounced at any time by either the Government or the Organization. The Agreement shall terminate one year from the date on which notice of termination shall have been given to the other Party.

ARTICLE XIII

Entry into force

Having been approved by the Conference of the Organization on 22 November 1957, this Agreement shall enter into force upon being signed by the two Parties.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the Government and the Organization have signed this Agreement, in duplicate, in the French language.

For the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome,....

The Director-General
For the Government of Syria
Damascus,...
The Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Government of the Republic of Syria (hereinafter referred to as the " Government" ), represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs duly authorized by the President of the Republic in the Council of Ministers, and

the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (hereinafter referred as to the "Organization") represented by its Director-General,

acting within the powers conferred upon him by Article VII of the Constitution and Rule XXIX of the Rules of Procedure of the Organization,

Considering

1) Article 5 of the Decree Law 196 of 6 April 1952 approving the Technical Assistance Agreement between the Government and the Organization,

2) the recommendation of the Third FAO Regional Meeting on Food and Agriculture Programs and Outlook in the Near East, held at Cairo in September 1953, advocating the establishment of a Regional Forestry School in Syria.

3) that the Seventh Session of the Conference of the Organization held in November and December 1953 endorsed the said recommendation.

4) that the Government has offered to establish such a School ill its territory.

5) the recommendations adopted by the Near East Forestry Commission at its First Session held at Teheran in September 1955, regarding the contribution to be made by the interested Governments to the cost of establishment and to the annual running cost of the School, as well as the setting, up a Governing Body of the School, and

Being desirous of concluding an agreement with a view to implementing the abovementioned recommendations,

Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE I

Establishment of the School

The Government undertakes to establish, at Buka, in the district of Latakia, Syria, with the co-operation of the interested Member Governments of the Near East Forestry Commission and with the assistance of the Organization, a Near East Forest Rangers' School (hereinafter referred to as the " School ").

The School shall be placed under the auspices of the Organization and shall be governed by the following Articles.

ARTICLE II

Aims and Functions

The purpose of the School shall be to train forest rangers. The instruction which shall be given in Arabic shall be primarily practical, but shall nevertheless include theoretical courses.

In view of the special nature of Near East forestry problems, the students must also acquire some knowledge of agriculture, stockraising and range management. Health, first aid' the care of machinery and other general subjects appropriate to their duties shall also be among the topics of a few lectures.

ARTICLE III

Organs

The Organs of the School shall be:

The Governing Body.
The Director.

ARTICLE IV

The Governing Body

The Governing Body shall consist of:

Representatives designated individually by each of the Member Governments of the Near East Forestry Commission utilizing the services of the School, one representative per interested Government.

The Director-General of the Organization or his representative.

The Governing Body shall elect its own Chairman and adopt its own rules of procedure. The l) sector of the School shall be its Secretary.

The Governing Body shall approve annually the program of work and budget of the School and generally supervise its activities. It shall also perform such other functions as may be assigned to it under other provisions of this Agreement.

ARTICLE V

Administration

The administration of the School shall be placed under the authority of a Director appointed by the Governing Body on the basis of a proposal made by the Director-General of the Organization in agreement with the Government. Under the general supervision of the Governing Body, the Director shall have full power to administer and to supervise directly the activities of the School, on behalf of which he shall act in all its transactions. He shall be the legal representative of the School and shall he responsible for its organization and administration. Moreover, he shall engage the teaching and administrative staff assigned to the activities of the School.

The conditions of appointment of the Director shall be fixed by the Governing Body.

ARTICLE VI

Staff

The staff of the School shall be responsible to the Director of the School. The responsibility of the staff, in exercising their functions and in orienting their work. shall be definitely international in character.

ARTICLE VII

Premises, Equipment, Budget and Finance

1. The Government shall make available to the School without charge the land, buildings and premises required for its operation and listed in the annex to this Agreement. It shall assume responsibility for the maintenance and protection of the said land. buildings and premises as well as the lighting and heating of the buildings and premises.

2. The School shall be financed out of annual contributions paid by the interested Member Governments of the Near East Forestry Commission, proportionally to the number of students that they wish to send to the School each year.

3. The Governing Body shall be empowered to accept contributions, gifts, legacies, and grants from governments, institutions or private persons, provided that these contributions, gifts, legacies and grants are for purposes in keeping with the aims of the School.

4. To facilitate the establishment of the School and its initial operation the Organization, on its part, shall undertake to seek authority from the Technical Assistance Board, to include in its technical assistance programs contributions to the budget of the School, covering in particular the costs of part of the teaching staff and the supply of the equipment required for carrying out the School's program.

5. The Director shall draw up and present annually to the Governing Body for its approval all proposals relating to the School's program of work and expenses, within the limits of the resources available to the School that fiscal year. Supplementary proposals may be submitted in case additional resources become available.

6. The Director of the School shall have the authority to make regular administrative disbursements within the limits of the approved budget. His accounts shall be open to inspection by the Governing Body.

7. Arrangements shall be made by the Governing Body for an independent audit of the School's accounts.

ARTICLE VIII

Legal Status

1. The School shall he recognized as an international foundation with a juridical personality.

2. Save for the obligations expressly envisaged in this Agreement, neither the Organization nor the Government shall assume any civil, financial or other responsibilities in respect of the working or management of the School.

3. The Government shall undertake to apply, mutatis mutandis, to the School, to its premises, property, funds and assets, to the members of the Governing Body and to the non-Syrian staff of the School the provisions of Sections 4 to 20 inclusive and of Sections 22, 23 and 25 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies. The Director of the School shall enjoy the privileges and immunities and shall exercise the functions provided for respectively in Section 21 and Section 25, paragraph 2 (II), of the Convention.

Moreover, the Government shall authorize the entry and stay in Syria of the students designated by the Member Governments of the Near East Forestry Commission to follow the courses at the School, unless it is otherwise advised by its national security services.

4. Applications for visas from the persons referred to in the foregoing paragraph, when accompanied by a certificate issued by the Director of the School that they are travelling fling on the School's business or to follow the courses there, shall be dealt with as speedily as possible and the visas shall be granted without charge.

ARTICLE IX

By-laws

All the provisions necessary for the work and operation of the School shall be laid down by the Governing Body in Rules of Procedure and Financial Regulations which shall comprise, in particular, provisions relating to the staff and students and to the financial management of the School.

ARTICLE X

Annual Report

The Director shall each year submit to the Governing Body, to the Government and to the Director-General of the Organization, a technical, administrative and financial report on the work of the School. Such report shall he transmitted I by the Director-General of the Organization to all the Member Governments of the Near East Forestry Commission, and to the Conference of the Organization.

ARTICLE XI

Additional Agreements

Any subsequent decision of the Organization that may affect the implementation of this Agreement or any proposal of the Government to amend the terms of the Agreement shall be the subject of negotiations between the Organization and the Government with a view to concluding an additional agreement.

ARTICLE XII

Duration and Denunciation

This agreement shall remain in force for an indefinite period but may be denounced at any time by either the Government or the Organization. The Agreement shall terminate one year from the date on which notice of termination shall have been given to the other Party.

ARTICLE XIII

Entry into force

Having been approved by the Conference of the Organization on 22 November 1957 this Agreement shall enter into force upon being signed by the two Parties.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the Government and the Organization have signed this Agreement, in duplicate, in the French language

For the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome,..

The Director-General
For the Government of Syria
Damascus,...
The Minister of Foreign Affairs